The Other World_A Reverse Harem Series

by Jessica Sorensen

  He doesn’t answer. He simply sticks his hand out for me to take. “It’s probably better if I show you.”

  I make no move to take his hand. “I’m not moving until you tell me.”

  He keeps his hand outstretched, urging me to take it. “It’s a lot easier to explain if you just see it.” When I remain motionless, he says with an intense amount of desperation, “Please. I need you to be okay.”

  I want to ask why. I want to press for more details. But as pain spears my gut, I find myself taking his hand and letting him help me to my feet. Then I walk out of the bathroom with him, unsure if I’m more worried about the poison in my veins or whatever this thing is that Steel insists will cure me from melting into a puddle of human flesh.

  Alexis

  “You’ve got to be shitting me.” I frown at the massive tub in the bathroom connected to West’s bedroom. “There’s no way in hell I’m getting into that.”

  It’s not the tub itself that has me wary and reluctant. No, it’s the strange gel-like blue liquid filling the inside.

  West lightly grazes his hand across my back. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  I shoot him a dirty look. “Not as bad as it looks? It has jelly inside of it.”

  “It’s not jelly,” Steel says. He’s standing on the opposite side of the bathtub near the faucet. Beside his feet are several cylinder containers, which I’m guessing is where the jelly came from. “It’s a type of drug called breath of ease.”

  “Then there’s really no way in hell I’m getting into that.” I step back, but my back crashes into West. I grimace. “You can crowd my space all you want; I’m still not getting in there.”

  Steel’s icy gaze bores into me. “Then you’re going to die.”

  “Steel,” West warns.

  “She needs to hear this.” Steel’s gaze zeroes in on me. “She needs to understand that this isn’t a joke. That the kiss of evil will kill her. That it’s already killing her.”

  A shiver breaks out across my skin, but I refuse to look away from him. “I don’t think this is a joke. But I also don’t think diving into a bathtub full of drug goo is going to cure me.”

  “You’re right; it’s not,” Steel replies. Then he slowly winds around the tub with his lean, tattooed arms crossed. When he reaches the other side, he stops in front of me, staring down at me with chilly, dark eyes. “Nothing’s going to cure you, sweetheart, unless West’s boy successfully brings us the antidote. This”—he nods at the bathtub—“is only a temporary solution.”

  His harsh words nearly knock the breath out of me.

  “You make it sound like Blaine doesn’t have the antidote,” I say quietly. “And that he might not be able to get it.”

  Steel shrugs. “He said he could get it, but it all depends on how much you can trust him to follow through.” He leans in, his eyes darkening. “Personally, I think it’s stupid to trust anyone.”

  Though I’ve had similar thoughts, I keep my lips sealed, refusing to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him.

  When he smirks, I grind my teeth. His smirk magnifies, but then falters as a spout of heat bursts through my body, causing every one of my muscles to spasm.

  “You better make the decision quickly,” he warns, turning for the door, “before you can’t make decisions at all.” With that, he strides out of the bathroom.

  I twist around toward West, hugging my arms around myself. “So, my life is in Blaine’s hands?”

  West pulls a face. “I guess … sort of.”

  I rub my hands up and down my goosebump-dotted arms. “Why does that make me feel like I was just given a death sentence?”

  “Blaine isn’t going to let you die. He may be an asshole, but he still cares about you.” He looks pained to say it, and I question if he’s lying.

  “Are you sure about that?” I observe his reaction carefully.

  He presses his lips together and nods. “I’m positive.”

  I can’t tell if he’s lying or not. Doesn’t really matter, though. As another wave of scorching heat courses through me, I realize I have a bigger problem to worry about right now.

  My gaze skates to the tub. “Are you sure there’s not another way to get this dying process to slow down?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” He grazes his fingers along my shoulder. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  I glance at him with my brow arched. “You’ve been in this stuff before? And where did you guys even get this stuff?”

  “I haven’t been in it. Steel has, though, and he said it was kind of like relaxing in a hot bubble bath.” He shifts his weight. “As for where we got the drugs … Steel has it on hand.”

  “Why?” I ask, but he only shrugs, seeming extremely uncomfortable.

  Great, another secret.

  I sigh in frustration. “I’m not sure what I have a harder time believing—that bathing in this crap is like taking a hot bubble bath or that Steel has actually taken a bubble bath.”

  West presses back a smile. “He’s not as rough as he looks.”

  “Considering the stuff he said to me the first time we met, I doubt that’s true.”

  “It is.” He sits down on the steps that lead up to the bathtub then takes my hands in his. “I know you sometimes have a hard time trusting people, but I promise you that Ellis, Steel, and I only want to help you.” He skims his finger along the back of my hand. “We’d never do anything to hurt you, especially me.”

  I force back the shaky breath that wants to flee my lips.

  What’s your problem? Stop overreacting every time he touches you and says nice things. You are not that kind of girl.

  It’s got to be the drugs in my system, messing with my head.

  “Is Blaine included on that list? Because I’m supposed to trust him, too, remember? But he’s hurt me before. Not intentionally, but …” I shake my head. “You know what? Never mind.” I slip my hand from his and cross my arms, tucking my fingers underneath my armpits to hide how badly my hands are shaking. “What do I need to do with this bathtub of goo? Just climb in?”

  He rubs his lips together as he nods. “You’ll want to take your clothes off before you do.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not going to be naked while I’m sitting in that stuff.”

  He stands up. I’m not even close to being short, but he’s tall enough to make me feel that way. “The more skin that comes into contact with the drug—the goo—the quicker it’ll slow down the side effects of the kiss of evil. And the longer it’ll keep them dormant.”

  I stare warily at the blue goo. “What is it exactly? I mean, the gooey stuff. I know Steel said it was a drug, but what kind?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. Steel knows more about it than I do.”

  “That makes me feel a whole lot better about getting in.” I sigh exhaustedly. “I’m sorry. I’m being bitchy right now and all you’re doing is trying to help me.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.” He rubs his hand up and down my arm. “What’s happening to you right now … you have every right to be pissed off.”

  “Not at you, though … None of this is your fault.”

  “Yeah? So? If you need a punching bag, I’m your guy.” His lips tug into an adorable half-smile. “I thought you knew that already.”

  “No, but now that I do …” I allow a wicked grin to spread across my lips, but inside, I feel deflated.

  His smile mimics mine. “Just know that every punch you throw costs you a kiss.”

  I glare at him, but then my lips beg to turn upward. “Never going to happen.” But technically, we’ve kissed, so I add, “Again.”

  He settles his hands on my hips, sneaking his fingers up the hem to trace soft circles on my sides. “Hate to break it to you, but you and I haven’t kissed yet.”

  “Um, yeah, we have.” Did he seriously forget or is he just fucking with me? It probably doesn’t matter. No, what matters is that I need to get in that bathtub, but I’m procrastina
ting, because the idea of getting into a tub full of drugs is freaking me the hell out. “In the car, you kissed my neck. And on the sofa …” I trail off as a smirk rises on his lips.

  Then he dips his lips toward my ear. “That wasn’t even close to being a real kiss. You’ll find that out, though … eventually.”

  I roll my eyes despite my heart thundering in my chest. “In your dreams, dude.”

  He steps back, the smirk still evident. “You have no idea. No fucking idea.” But all the humor evaporates as I start to break out in a sweat. “Now, quit procrastinating and get in there.”

  He knows me better than I thought.

  I eyeball the tub like it’s the devil himself. I’m not even positive why I’m freaking out. It’s not like I haven’t done any drugs before. I’ve gotten high quite a few times. I could blame my reaction on the kiss of evil and what it’s doing to my body right now, but I’m not sure that’s the reason.

  No, something about a tub full of drugs is setting off fear inside me. Why?

  Remember …

  Who you are …

  What you can do …

  “Baby, it’s going to be okay.” He gently massages my sides. “I promise nothing will happen to you.”

  I want to run. Bolt from this place and forget about everything that happened today. Well, most of it. But since that’d probably lead to my death, I keep my feet glued to the floor.

  “Stop calling me baby,” I say. “You should know already that I’m not a pet name sort of girl.”

  The corners of his lips twitch. “I can try to stop, but no promises.” When I glare at him, he grins. “I’m sorry, but it just keeps slipping out.”

  “Well, it should be easy to stop since you’ve never called me it before today.”

  He slips his tongue out to wet his lips, his tongue piercing glinting. “Yeah, but I’ve never given you an orgasm before either.”

  I glower at him, my cheeks flooding with warmth. At least, I think they do. It’s really hard to tell with how high my body temperature has risen. “That still doesn’t give you the right to call me baby.” I give myself a mental high-five at the evenness of my tone.

  “I know, but doing that to you …” He gazes off, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. “It made me feel more connected to you, and apparently, that connection has me calling you baby.” He brushes his finger across my cheek. “God, you’re adorable when you blush.”

  I smack his hand away, the warmth in my cheeks increasing. “No more calling me baby or adorable,” I warn. This time my voice slightly trembles. He has me too flustered. I need to calm down. “Now, will you please get out so I can strip down to my underwear?” When his lips part, I hold up my hand. “I want to try it with my underwear on and see how that goes. If it doesn’t work, I’ll strip down naked. But I want that to be a last resort.”

  “I didn’t realize you were so modest,” he tries to tease, but worry creeps into his tone.

  “I’m not.” I flick a glance at the tub. “I’m just worried about the goo getting into … certain places.”

  He smashes his lips together forcefully, a moment passing before he asks, “That’s what you’re worried about?”

  “Pretty much.” That and the unexplainable fear stirring inside me.

  “Fair enough, I guess.” He turns to leave the bathroom but halts in the doorway and glances over his shoulder. “Just hurry and get in there, okay? We’ve already wasted a lot of time. And tell me before you get in, okay? I don’t want you getting in there without being monitored.”

  I give him a salute. “Yes, Mr. Alpha Male,” I say with exaggerated cheerfulness. Then I lower my hand to my side. “Jesus, you’re getting super bossy.”

  Just like in the car right before he bit my neck, his eyes blaze with heat. But he doesn’t say a word, simply exiting the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

  I keep my back to the bathtub as I peel my shirt off over my head, knowing if I turn around, I’ll psych myself out. Then I remove my shoes and socks, my pants coming off next. Thankfully, I’m wearing a pair of boycut shorts that completely covers my ass. Still, I feel exposed, so I wrap a towel around me before opening the bathroom door.

  I expect to find only West waiting for me, but Steel is out there, too. His eyes immediately find me, making me hyperaware of how small the towel is. West takes a peek too, his gaze dropping to my feet and skimming up my legs, midsection, and chest, before reaching my face.

  I swear I can feel the heat of his gaze and my body stupidly warms.

  “This isn’t a free show.” I roll my eyes, while inside, I’m a clusterfuck of fluster-ness.

  Yeah, normally I’m a pro at being a badass, smartass, tough girl, but a guy has never looked at me the way West is looking at me now. I’m not even certain why he’s looking at me that way, but the intensity in his eyes has me feeling completely out of my comfort zone.

  Steel’s eyes darken. “Not yet—”

  West slaps a hand over Steel’s mouth, eliciting a growl from him, to which West ignores.

  “Are you ready to get in?” West asks with his gaze glued to me.

  I tighten the towel around me. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “All right.” He lowers his hand from Steel’s mouth and motions for me to go back into the bathroom.

  When I turn around, I pause as I hear a soft smack. I peek behind me to find West is glaring at Steel and Steel is glaring back while rubbing the back of his head. As West notes me staring, he forces a smile and nods at the tub.

  “Quit procrastinating,” he tells me.

  Worry seeps deep into my bones. They’re keeping something from me, but what? Could it be about the tub?

  “Are you sure this is safe?” I ask as I step up onto the stairs and stare at the drug goo. Breath of ease is what I think Steel called it.

  West moves up beside the tub and catches my gaze. “Remember what I said. We’re here to help you and won’t do anything that could hurt you.”

  What I’d give to believe him. To be able to trust people. But it’s something I’ve always struggled with, even before my parents died.

  “Fine.” I start to unwind the towel from around me, then pause. “Can you two look the other way while I climb in?”

  Steel shakes his head, but West nods and steers him around toward the wall, turning around, too.

  Taking a deep breath, I drop the towel then lower my foot into the goo. “It’s really cold,” I whisper as I put my other foot inside. “And slimy.”

  “It’s not too cold, is it?” West asks, still facing the wall.

  “No, but I’ve only gotten my feet in so far.” I wade farther into the tub, stopping when the goo reaches my knees.

  “Sit down in it,” Steel commands. “It’s not going to work if you don’t.”

  “I understand that.” I blow out a loud exhale. “Seriously, you’re the most impatient person I’ve ever met.” I roll my eyes, but I’m all bravado.

  No, on the inside, my heart rate is quickening, and my skin is dampening with sweat.

  Remember …

  Remember …

  Remember …

  Who you are …

  What you can do …

  What we made you able to do …

  Remember the monsters …

  Water rises over my head and seeps into my pores. I feel so heavy as I sink into it, as if the water is polluted and it’s putting toxins into me that are slowly killing me. I feel like I’m burning up from the inside out, melting, yet somehow a coldness simultaneously sweeps through my bones.

  I try to swim upward, paddling and kicking my legs, but then my butt hits a hard surface. The bottom of something? I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything except I can’t breathe.

  I can’t breathe!

  Oh, my God …

  Oh, my God, I really can’t breathe. I try to gasp for air, but darkness overtakes me, pulls me down, and refuses to release me.

  West

  “
You doing okay back there?” I ask after a beat of silence skips by.

  When Alexis doesn’t respond, my muscles tauten.

  “Lex?”

  Silence is my only response.

  I trade a worried look with Steel before whirling around. The moment I do, my heart nearly stops.

  “Where the hell is she?” Panic laces my tone as I rush toward the bathtub.

  As I’m about to dive in, Steel captures me by the elbow.

  “If you get any breath of ease on you without any traces of kiss of evil inside you, it’ll permanently affect you,” he warns, steering me back from the tub.

  I shake off his hand. “I understand that, but I …” I struggle to breathe, staring at the bathtub as I yank my fingers through my hair. I know a bit about the breath of ease. Know that it and the kiss of evil counteract each other. We’re probably going to have to call in a cleanup crew when we’re done with this—that’s how potent it is. “How the hell are we going to get her out of there?”

  He leans over the tub, scanning the goo. “I’m not sure she’s even in there anymore.” He frowns at the bathtub where, as far as I can see, there’s no sign of Alexis.

  But she just has to be underneath the goo, right? Where else could she be?

  The goo is low enough that I know we should be able to see a part of her. If anything, some strands of her hair should be sticking out.

  My gaze skates to him. “Where would she have gone? We were standing right by the door.”

  He tensely massages the back of his neck, his gaze flitting from the bathtub to me. “If my hunch is right and Alexis was part of the experimental drug program, depending on what section she belonged to, she might have certain … gifts.”

  “You mean, like your strength? Because that seems … I don’t know … I’ve known her forever and she’s never had any signs of a gift.”

  “They might’ve been dormant up until now.” He scratches at the circular tattoo on his wrist. “I’ve heard rumors that some of the sections were a lot … darker than others, and the drugs they used on their subjects have some very … odd side effects, and sometimes the side effects become dormant for a while until something activates them.”